Warwickshire County Council has announced that residents can once again dispose of fridges and freezers at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) across the county.
Residents are being asked to note that capacity remains limited and are encouraged to consider the alternative disposal options, outlined below, where it is possible.
The resumption follows a temporary suspension issued on 5 August, which was put in place after around 1,000 cooling appliances accumulated across WCC sites, pushing storage capacity to its limit.
The backlog was due to a national shortage of capacity to recycle and process fridges, freezers and other cooling appliances. The UK's recycling infrastructure has been significantly affected by facility fires, plant closures and limited storage capacity. Warwickshire was among numerous local authorities affected.
Since the suspension, WCC has made significant progress in clearing the backlog through concerted collection efforts. In addition, the Council has worked closely with the Environment Agency, which has agreed to relax specific storage requirements. This has allowed for the allocation of additional outside space increasing the overall capacity for storing fridges and freezers across the recycling centres.
WCC has advised all district and borough councils that they can resume booking their own fridge collections or providing collection dates, depending on their local operational arrangements.
Cllr Darren Cheshire, Warwickshire County Council's Portfolio Holder for Environment, Heritage and Culture, said: “We would like to thank our residents for their patience and cooperation over the past few weeks. Following our announcement in August, we have seen very few fridges deposited at our recycling centres, and thankfully, fly-tipping has not been a significant issue.
"Having worked closely with the Environment Agency to secure additional outside storage space and having made excellent progress on clearing the existing backlog, we are now in a position to resume accepting fridges and freezers at our sites where capacity allows.
"While we did consider introducing a dedicated booking system to help manage demand and verify residency, we have decided against adding further administrative hurdles for our residents. We recognise that without a booking system, there remains a risk that our storage capacity could reach its limit again, which may force us to temporarily pause collections in the future. However, we feel this flexible approach is the most practical solution available to us right now.
"We are advising residents that while we are accepting fridges once again, if you are able to safely keep your old appliances in storage a little longer, please do so to help us manage capacity at our centres."
Advice for Residents
WCC continues to urge residents to consider all available options before bringing cooling appliances to a recycling centre:
Store safely at home: If possible, please continue to store old units safely at your property to help ease the pressure on HWRC capacity.
Retailer take-back schemes: If you are purchasing a new fridge or freezer, check if the retailer offers a "take-back" service to remove your old appliance. Under the UK WEEE Regulations, distributors and retailers have obligations to offer take-back facilities or accept old fridges and freezers where a new one is being purchased.
Consider repair: Spare parts such as drawers and seals are easy to source online and replace yourself. For mechanical issues, consider a local appliance repair company.
Reuse: If your unwanted item is still in working order, a good way to give it a new home and a second life is to list it on Freegle, Freecycle, Facebook Marketplace, or Nextdoor.
Beware of rogue waste collectors: Only use licensed waste carriers to dispose of any type of waste. Get a record of where they say they will take your waste and keep hold of your receipt. Handing appliances over to unlicensed operators often leads to fly-tipping, which remains a criminal offence.
Warwickshire County Council will continue to monitor storage levels closely to ensure operations remain safe and manageable.
Find your local HWRC: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/hwrc
Residents can Follow Warwickshire Recycles on social media for daily tips:
On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/warwickshire_recycles/
On Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/warwickshirerecycles